New to the upright

[PrimusPanda]

I have just recently obtained a Kay upright bass. The story behind it is quite funny in my opinion. I play the electric bass for my church and just recently an older couple started coming. After the service on their first day of being there the older man came up to me and told me how he really liked my playing and that he had an upright he no longer plays and would bring in for me one day. A couple weeks pass and he finally brings it in and its a little rough looking but still very playable. He then shows me all the stuff within the case (strings, books, the bow) and then says he would leave the bass to me so I can learn to play it since he doesn't use it anymore.

Part of me just wanted to share that story but the other part would like to know where to start on how to learn the thing. Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to learn without a teacher, I have read a lot on TB that a teacher is great help but I don't exactly have the money for it. The books he gave me start out by playing music, not showing technique or anything. I don't want to get bad habits that will hurt me later so any advice would be appreciated on this topic.

Most things I found on TB talked about going to the newbie threads, but I can't even seem to find those

Also can anyone give any information about this brand?

[michaeln]

The newbie threads are here:

BASS FORUM LINKS (Newbie Links): PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING NEW TOPICS

[Andrew McGregor]

That's a really nice story, and congrats... you have a bass. There's a bazillion threads on Kays of various kinds... classic American bass, kind of weird if you're not from the US, but a useful bass. They're collectable and quite famous, so don't go messing with the finish until you know what you've got there.

Do get a bass luthier to look at the setup... or at the very least, check the bridge and soundpost are sitting correctly (lots of threads describe how to do that) and measure the string heights at the end of the fingerboard in millimeters and post them so we can see if your setup is sensible (they will seem a bit high, that's normal, but things can go wrong with a bass that raise them way higher than they should be).

About the lessons: try really, really hard to find some lessons. Trade for them if you have to, or you might well find someone who just likes to teach and will teach for free (or beer...). In any case, you need a few lessons to get the physical approach right to start with. More is better, of course, but a few (like, 8 or 10) will get you started on a path that doesn't go through a whole lot of pain.

[iiipopes]

You, sir, are one of the luckiest persons on the entirety of TalkBass. Congratulations. Get thee to your regional college or university that has a good orchestra department and sign up for lessons with the bass professor/instructor. By the time you spend as much on lessons as what that bass with all the case candy is going for otherwise, you will be ready for your local civic or community orchestra.

[Mike Goodbar]

Hmmm...maybe I should start going to church more??

If the strings seem really high, or if the bass seems difficult to play, you might want to find a repair person (preferably one who specializes in upright bass) to take a look at it.

Kay basses are known for having neck-joint issues (at least many of the ones that I've seen in schools and so forth).

Happy Playing!

[MollyKay]

Originally Posted by PrimusPanda

Also can anyone give any information about this brand?

Lucky guy indeed!

You have a vintage, American made plywood Kay bass manufactured sometime after 1952. Your first resource for manufacture information is www.kaybass.com Once you locate your serial number you can more precisely find the year of manufacture and model.

If you are in an absolute wasteland for a teacher look at some of the teaching DVD’s, they can be helpful for technique.

If you are looking for a luthier check out this link http://www.gollihurmusic.com/luthiers.cfm

Best wishes, welcome to the forum and stay out of the strings section…that will get you in the pocket book (uh, I mean wallet).

[Matt Ides]

Originally Posted by MollyKay

stay out of the strings section…that will get you in the pocket book.

Best advice ever. Congrats on the new bass!

[Phil Rowan]

Congrats Panda! Can we see some more pics? And yes, do your best to get some lessons.. totally worth it and a key part in avoiding bad habits. Maybe someone here on TB can help you find someone in your area. There are also some cool videos Jeff Bradetich did on youtube about basic technique stuff, which could at least get you started.. but there's nothing better than one-on-one lessons with a solid double bassist. If you're coming from electric, you'll want someone to show you that, aside from tuning and musical role, the double bass is a totally different beast (IMHO).

Funny.. I got my Kay for free too. It was perched on an old stand, sitting unused in the back of the church my family and I would go to when I was in middle school/high school. When I was in HS, they saw that I was getting so into playing and that I was seriously considering going to school for it (which I did), and they graciously donated the old Kay to me.. Needed a new neck, so it wasn't entirely free, but even after that work I ended up with a great instrument.

[Bullhead]

There is introductory stuff all over the web of widely varying quality. It won't get you into your books, but check out, "Andy Anderson teaches the double bass" on YouTube.

[PrimusPanda]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try my best to find a teacher because I don't feel like starting bad habits with this instrument. More pics will be coming up probably tomorrow.

[jaff]

Congratulations. Whatever it takes, find a teacher. The value you will get from a good one will far exceed whatever you spend. Every teacher I've had so far (3) is unforgettable and has given me incredible value.